Canatara Park, mid-February:

Canada Geese have been staking out territories on Lake Chipican. The Goose in the lower photo is in it's defense pose, jokingly called a "Cobra Chicken". It looks like "Cobra Chicken Season" has begun! 

A Downy Woodpecker appears to be checking a "map" created by beetle larva. If only it could follow a "road" to some juicy food! Beetle galleries are carved into the inner bark by female beetles and their larvae. Some species of beetles carve a specific pattern, while others carve random grooves. 

https://www.wta.org/news/signpost/the-truth-behind-bug-trails

The bright red colour of the Seven-spotted Lady Beetle caught my attention this week as it crawled across the ground. They will overwinter under tree bark and inside rock crevices. This species has been repeatedly introduced to North America as a biological control agent to reduce aphid numbers. 

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/51702-Coccinella-septempunctata

Hopefully the current ice storm doesn't cause a lot of damage. These images were taken following last week's freezing rain event.